


Takes One To Know One

by ideservedit



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bonding, Damaged Dean, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Abuse, and dean winchester, and them together (not romantically tho), damaged bela (should be a tag), i just really love bela talbot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 02:34:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11934531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideservedit/pseuds/ideservedit
Summary: "You're so damaged.""Takes one to know one."Bela and Dean resemble each other in more ways than Dean sees at first.orAfter Bela's comment about them being alike Dean can't stop thinking about it. He goes to a bar to drown his sorrows and meets none other than Bela herself. They have a heart-to-heart of sorts.





	Takes One To Know One

**Author's Note:**

> well, so i was rewatching some spn episodes and then i remembered how much i love bela talbot and especially that one phrase she said to dean ("takes one to know one") just stuck with me...  
> i hope you enjoy  
> all mistakes are mine

_"_ _You're_ _so_ _damaged_ _."_

_"_ _Takes_ _one_ _to_ _know_ _one_ _."_

Bela's words were still ringing in Dean's ears. Even after he hadn't seen her in weeks. It was like someone had put a record with them on repeat in his head and there was no way for him to stop it.

The thing was, she wasn't wrong.

Even though, he hated her. Even though, he never wanted to be compared to her, they were so similar in so many ways.

After she had said those words to him, he couldn't stop thinking about all he knew about her.

And he had recognized their similarities. He had found some things she had done, some things she had said, he related to more than he was willing to admit.

Now, of course, he could never tell anyone. Not even Sam. Especially not Sam. He hated Bela just as much Dean had thought he did (now he wasn't so sure of that anymore).

There was just something about her. Something he couldn't quite put into words.

It was just, the way she never got personal, the way she tried to keep everyone from seeing who she was and knowing how she felt.

It was the way she made sarcastic comments rather than to admit her true feelings.

It was the way she pretended to not care when inside she wanted to scream.

It was the way it was so hard for her to say something that was so easy for everyone else to say (such as "thank you"), because she was too afraid people would see too much of the real her.

It was just things Dean knew all too well.

He liked to think he wasn't just as cold as her though. He liked to think that he cared about people more, that he helped more than she did.

But he also knew that, if he didn't have Sammy, he may have turned out just like her. If he didn't have Sammy, someone to care for, someone to love, perhaps he would be dead by now then.

So yeah, he had been right with his comment about her being damaged, but she hadn't been wrong either.

The thought made him want to scream. It made him want to tear his hairs out. It made him want to cry.

But being the damaged, Bela-like person he was, he didn't do any of those things.

No, he went to a bar and tried to get it all out of his head.

But the universe seemed to really hate him that day (and every other day if he was being honest), since the one person he wanted to get away from sat down right beside him.

"Bela." He said coldly. "What do you want?"

"Maybe I just want to enjoy your company." She gave him a fake sweet smile.

He just rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his whiskey.

"Why can't you just tell the truth for once? It's a simple question." Honestly, he was already getting tired of her games again.

"What if it doesn't have a simple answer though? Ever thought of that?" She looked at him and looked him up and then. "Then again, your simple brain probably doesn't understand the concept of complexity."

He had never wanted to punch someone as bad as he wanted to punch Bela in moments like these.

He glared at her angrily. "Why do you always have to be such a bitch?" He then asked while motioning for the bartender to refill his drink.

"That's certainly not how you talk to a lady." Bela looked at him disapprovingly. "Has your mama never taught you that a gentleman buys her a drink rather than insults her?"

He knew she was just trying to make him mad. She was trying to get a reaction, but he had to admit that it was working.

Instead of punching her off the bar stool and yelling at her to never speak of his mother again, he just scoffed.

"You ain't no lady."

"And you certainly aren't a gentleman."

Bela ordered herself a drink.

"So, what do you want?" Dean brought his question from before up again. Bela would certainly not just join him if there wasn't something she wanted from him.

"Honest answer?" Bela asked and looked at him questioningly.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course, I want the honest answer. What am I supposed to do with a lie, huh?"

A smirk spread on the woman's face as if she was amused by what Dean had said.

"Very well." She spoke as a drink was set before her and she took a sip. "The truth is, I didn't come here to see you. You were just here when I was."

When she didn't say any more, Dean's eyebrows shot up in a silent question. Did she really expect him to believe that? Bela may have been a master manipulator and liar but now she didn't fool anyone.

Dean scoffed. "Should've known you were just going to lie to me again." Then, because somehow Bela always managed to make him play her games, he added."Didn't daddy ever teach you that lying is a sin?"

At that, Bela didn't react the way he had expected her to. Instead of a snarky remark or a witty comeback, he got silence.

When he looked at her, Bela's eyes were aimed at the ground. It seemed that his comment had really hit her somehow.

"What, did I hit a nerve or something?" The older man asked through gritted teeth. He didn't want to show too much empathy but he also didn't want to sound cruel.

At least now, Dean would've expected the woman to taunt him for believing her to be hurt by his words or to mock him because she tricked him yet again. But nothing of the sort came.

"So what if you did?" Bela asked, looking him directly in the eye. "Would you care?"

And even though Dean knew it was phrased as a rhetorical question, he felt the need to answer.

"So, what if I did?" He challenged, because it was the only way he knew how to talk to her. "Would you tell me why?"

Bela simply nodded. It went against everything he knew about her but this seemed to be a special occasion. There seemed to be somethig different today that made her honest. Or at least more honest than usual.

"So, tell me."

"We're quite similar, you and I." She stated. And Dean couldn't disagree with that. He waited for her to continue and sipped on his whiskey.

"You know, how you didn't have the perfect family growing up?" (Dean knew very well.) "Well, I didn't either. My- my father, he wasn't a good man. I know, your father wasn't always the best, I know he could be abusive-" (Dean wanted to protest that, but Bela just continued speaking.) "Well, so could mine. And he was worse. He didn't just hit me, he did other things."

A single tear rolled down her cheek and Dean felt compelled to wipe it away. But he didn't, for he doubted Bela would appreciate the sentiment very much.

Dean wanted to tell her he was sorry for what her father did. But somehow he didn't think it was what Bela wanted to hear.

"Where is he now?" He asked instead.

A dry laugh escaped her lips. "Dead." She stated. "I killed him.

"I was fourteen and desperate to get away from him, from both my parents. And then, there it was. The solution I had been longing for. I made a deal with a demon, not knowing what I was in for at the time. All I knew is that I wanted it to stop, that I wanted them to be gone. So they were."

For a moment they just looked at each other. Bela had wiped the tear away herself and there were no others following.

"Well, here's to making deals with demons for our own sanity." Dean broke the silence and raised his glass.

A little smile appeared on Bela's face. Apparently, it had been the right thing to say, for she raised her glass and clinked it against Dean's.

Her deal had been to get away from something driving her insane.

His deal had been to maintain something that kept him sane.

They had their differences but they were so similar in so many things. And they both knew it now.

After that, they sat in silence. Both content with drinking and not taunting each other for once, maybe even secretly enjoying each others company.


End file.
